Raking and loading apparatus.



No. 798,810. PATENTED SEPT. 5, 1905. J. R. LEWIS.

BAKING AND LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1906.

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N0. 798,810. PATBNTED SEPT. 5, 1905. J R. LEWIS. RAKING AND LOADINGAPPARA TUS.

APPLIGATIOH FILED MAR. 24. 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. LE\VIS, OF BIGGS, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GUY T.LEWIS, OF BIGGS,

EALIFORNIA.

RAKING AND LOADING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1905.

Application filed March 24,1905. Serial No. 251,883.

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Be it known that 1, JOHN R. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Biggs, in the county of Butte and State of California, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Baking and Loading Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is designed for raking andloading hay, grain, or equivalent material, and by the use of a closedshovel it may also be employed for the 1 digging and lifting of earth orsimilar material that cannot be handled by a rake.

It consists in the combination of mechanism and in details ofconstruction which will be more fully explained by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of myapparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of same. Fig. 3 is a side elevationshowing rake-head raised and showing dumping position in dotted lines.Fig. 4 is a detail of the gathering devices and pusher-frame andconnections.

It is the object of my invention to provide an apparatus by whichmaterial may be gath ered, lifted, and deposited at a distant point.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated my apparatusas especially designed for gathering and delivering loose material, suchas hay 0r straw; but it will be obvious that by substituting a closedshovel for the rake herein illustrated it may be equally well employedfor lifting loose or earthy material.

A represents the framework of any suitable or desired size anddescription, mounted upon bearing-wheels B, which are journaled to theframe, and O is an extension frame or pole which serves for theattachment of a team by which the machine is propelled. The rear end ofthis pole is supported upon the steering-wheel 2, the steering-post ofwhich is vertically journaled in the end of the frame, and by means of alever, as at 3, the operator controls the direction in which theapparatus is to move.

a is a vertically-disposed frame mounted upon the horizontally-disposedframe A and supporting the longitudinally extending transverse frame 5,and this frame 5 serves as a carrier support and connections formechanism to be hereinafter described. I have here shown the frame ashaving posts l at 6 and truss rods or wires, as at 7, by which it isstiffened. The front end of the frame 5 has journaled in it pulleys, asat 8, over which pass the ropes 9, by which the lifting device isoperated. In the present case this device 1 is shown in the form of arake for lifting hay 3 and straw, this rake being composed of teeth 10,having the rear ends rigidly fixed to a rake-head 11 and with suitabletransverse bars, as at 12, and braces 13.

The rake-head ll is hinged or swiveled at l t to a framework 15, whichextends rearwardly from the hinge-points and has a crossbar 16, which isnormally engaged by the front bar of the frame G and by latches, as at17, into which the bar 16 falls, so that it is substantially in linewith the head ll and the rake or lifting device, and when the apparatusis being pushed over the field the frame 15 serves to push the liftingdevice or rake, and thus cause its front to gather the material forwhich it is designed.

The hinging of the gathering device is such as to allow its front end tomove freely over the surface, following the irregularities thereof, andto gather very closely from that surface. From the rear end of thisgathering device a post 18 extends upwardly and is suitably braced, asshown. Rods 19 have their front ends pivoted or fulcrumed to therakehead 11 and converging rearwardly terminate in a head 20 at the rearof the post 18. This head is normally engaged by a spring-latch 21,which thus holds the rake in position and when released allows it totilt. The releasing may be effected in a manner similar to that of anordinary hay-fork or similar device-that is, by a pull upon a rope, asat 23 is a frame the front lower end of which is pivoted to the head 11,contiguous to or with the pivoting of the frame 15. This frame 23extends rearwardly and backwardly up to a cross-beam 2a, which isturnable about a vertical central pivot 2%, extending into the top ofthe vertical frame at.

The horizontal frame 5, previously described, is supported, as shown,upon the beam 24.

The side timbers of the frame 23 extend upwardly and have guide-slots attheir upper ends which are movable or slidable upon pins or bolts 25,projecting from the ends of the beam 2f, the object being to allow theframe 23 to move slidably with relation to the timber 24 as the rake israised or depressed, as will be hereinafter described.

Connecting with the latch-plate 20 is a rope, as at 26, passing over apulley 28 on the crossbar 27, thence extending upward and around apulley 29, located near the upper end of the frame 23, thence overdirection-pulleys 29 on the frame 5, thence over a direction-pulley, asat 30, on the frame A, and finally connected with a lever 31, which isfulcrumed at the rear of the frame C. This lever is normally held downor latched, so as to lie approximately horizontally. When released andturned up into a vertical position, it slackens the rope, and thusallows the plate 20 and the pieces 18, to which 'it is latched, to moveforwardly, and this vertical movement allows the rake or collector totilt about its pivots, so that its points or front edge will gather thematerial in front of it. This is the normal condition while the deviceis gathering its load. After the load has been gathered the lever ispressed down and latched, thus holding the post 18 in substantialcontact with the cross-bar 27 and preventing the rake or gatherer fromtilting forward and discharging its load when the apparatus is to belifted after being loaded.

The operation of lifting a load is effected by a pull upon the ropes 9,which connect with the tilting frame 15 at one end and at the other endare connected with a block 32, and the rope 33 passing around this blockand over a direction-pulley 34 passes down to a point where it may beoperated either by attaching a horse or by means of a windingdrum drivenby a motor or by connection with the main bearing-wheels B of themachine, as shown. A pull upon this rope acts first to lift the frame 15about its pivots and bring it up against the lower part of the side bars23. In order to prevent this pull tilting the frame5, l have shown apost 35, having its lower end swiveled upon the pole-frame 3 and itsupper end swiveled near the rear end of the frame 5. This post 35 standsat an angle, as shown, and when adirect pull is brought upon the ropesand the frame is brought into position, as previously described, afurther pull will act to raise the frame 15 and 23 and the gatheringapparatus or rake. As this frame and rake are lifted it will be seenthat the distance between the pulley 29 and the direction-pulley 29 onthe frame 5 will be shortened as the frame 23 approaches the frame 5.Thereforethe rope which connects lever 31 with the latching-head 20 willmove over the pulley 29, and thus lengthening will allow the post 18 toremain substantially vertical while the rake is being lifted, and itwill be seen that this motion gradually brings the heel of the rakeupwardly toward the frame 15 until the frame 23 is brought nearly up totheframe 5 about the pivot in the top of the frame 4 and by the inclinedmovement of the swivel-post 35 about its lower end it will be seen thatthe upper end of the swivel-post will be brought downward and with itthe outer end of the frame 5 as it turns, and this correspondinglyraises the forward end of the frame 5 and with it the rake stillremaining in a substantially horizontal position. Thus the rake may beturned so far to one side of the machine that it will stand above awagon which is driven alongside of the machine, and when in thisposition the rake may be released either by a pull upon thespring-releasing rope previously described or by means of the lever 31,either of which will serve to release the rake or gathering device andallow it to tilt so as to discharge its load. This being done, the partsare returned again to their normal position, as has been previouslydescribed, and in readiness to take up another load.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A loading apparatus comprising a wheeled frame and support, agathering device flexibly supported at the front of the machine, anormally downwardly and forwardly inclined frame having one end flexiblyconnected to the gathering device and the opposite portion bothpivotally and slidably connected to the wheeled frame, means whereby thesecond frame may be lifted from an inclined to a substantiallyhorizontal position, to elevate the gathering device and its load, andmeans whereby the second frame with it's suspended gathering device maybe moved in a horizontal direction to a point of discharge.

2. A gathering and loading apparatus com- I prising a wheeled frame andsupport, a rake or gatherer located at the front, a normally,

downwardly and forwardly inclined frame having its upper end connectedwith the support, a flexible connection with said'inclined frame, andthe rear of the gatherer, and a propelling-frame hinged to the gathererand intermediate between it and the front of the wheeled frame.

3. In a gathering and loading apparatus, a

wheeled frame and support, a normally, downwardly and forwardly inclinedframe having its upper rear end connected with the support, and a rakeor gatherer flexibly connected with the lower end of said frame, asecond frame having its front end hinged to the gatherer and its rearend in contact with the wheeled frame to act as a propeller for thegatherer, a horizontally-disposed frame carried upon the support of thewheeled frame, directionpulleys and blocks carried upon said horizontalframe, ropes passing over said pulleys and connectedwith the secondframe, means by which power may be applied whereby the atherer and itscon meeting-frames are raised,

the level of the frame 5. By now swinging l and a mechanism by which thegatherer is maintained substantially horizontal during its elevation.

TL. A gathering and loading apparatus consisting of a wheeled frame andsupport, a normally, downwardly and forwardly inclined frame having itsrear end connected with the upper part of the support, a rake orgatherer flexibly connected with the front end of said frame,apusher-frame flexibly connected with the gatherer and having its rearend in contact with the main frame, a substantially horizontal framepivoted and turnable upon the top of the wheeled-frame support,directionpulleys and blocks with ropes through which power may beapplied, said ropes connecting with the pusher-frame and a post havingits lower end flexibly connected with the wheelframe and its upper endwith the swiveling frame whereby the gatherer may be raised to a pointcontiguous with the swivel-frame and the latter then turned to place thegatherer in a d ischarging position at one side of the wheel-frame.

5. Agathering and loading apparatus comprising a wheeled frame andelevated support, a normally, downwardly and forwardly inclined framehaving its upper end slidably connected with the upper part of saidsupport, and a rake or gatherer flexibly connected with its lower end, apost and latching device carried by the rear end of the gatherer, saidlatch being disengaged to allow the gather-er to tilt and discharge, apushing-frame hinged to the rear of the gatherer having its rear end incontact with the front of the wheel-frame, ropes connected with saidpushing-frame, a horizontally-swiveling frame carried upon the top ofthe wheel-frame support, with direction-pulleys over which said ropespass, means for applying power whereby the pushing frame is first tiltedinto contact with the inclined frame of the gatherer, and both framesand gatherer are then lifted, a rope passing over guide-pulleys andconnected with the latch of the gatherer so that said rope is lengthenedwhen the gatherer is raised, and the latter is maintained in asubstantially horizontal position. a rigid member between the rear ofthe horizontally-swiveling frame and the main frame and flexiblyconnected to both, said member acting to guide and raise theswivel-frame after the gathercr has been raised into proximity therewithso that the gathercr is carried to one side of the apparatus and inposition to be discharged.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN R. LEW'IS.

\Vitnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, HENRY P. TRICU.

